Chief Chat: Two RPD officers promoted

The City of Rolla has reposed special trust and confidence in the knowledge, courage, integrity, and professional excellence of Reserve Officers Scott Langley/891 and Tim Boone/899.

Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse

The City of Rolla has reposed special trust and confidence in the knowledge, courage, integrity, and professional excellence of Reserve Officers Scott Langley/891 and Tim Boone/899.

In view of these qualities and their demonstrated leadership potential and dedicated service to the Rolla Police Department, they are therefore promoted to the rank of Senior Patrol Officer, effective immediately. Spo. Scott Langley and Spo.

Tim Boone joined the Rolla Police Department in November of 2006 as reserve patrolmen. Both officers serve on the Rolla Police Department SWAT team and perform countless duties throughout the year such as parade and special event details, SWAT callouts and many other services. And of course as a “reserve” officer, they perform all of these duties without pay.

Spo. Boone is currently employed by the United States Army as a civilian employee. Tim is an instructor/writer for the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood. Tim has been employed by the Army since 2004 and during that time, has been an instructor for SWAT and Basic Police Functions. Tim served as an active duty member so the Army from 1997 – 2004.

Spo. Langley too is a civilian employee for the US Army at Ft. Leonard Wood, where he too is a SWAT instructor. Scott has served in that capacity since October of 2003. Prior to accepting that position, Scott served on active duty in the US Army from 1995 -2003.

I would like to congratulate both of these fine officers on their promotion and thank them for their dedicated service to our community. The Rolla Police Department Reserve Unit is comprised of 11 dedicated volunteers from various walks of life who offer a wide range of experience on many levels. We truly appreciate their time, dedication and willingness to serve! Thank you for all you do.

This next entry is from the desk of Sgt. Vince Giacolone who is our Law Enforcement Torch Run coordinator for Special Olympics – Missouri. Vince writes: Tomorrow, Saturday March 9, is supposed to be a beautiful day (temps in the mid-60’s), and we’re sure many of you will be out and about, but please plan on spending a few minutes or more with us at our big fund raiser for Missouri Special Olympics. It’s the Taste of Rolla Chili Cook-Off where you’ll get a chance to vote on the best chili in Rolla. 12 restaurants will be bringing their chilies for you to vote on; $4 permits you to sample as many chilies as you like, plus a bowl of your “favorite” chili. We’ll also have hot dogs, soda and ice cream to purchase as well. Silent auction, door prizes, and entertainment by the popular musical group Trilogy. Where: Eugene Northern Community Hall, 400 W. 4th St., Rolla. Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Hope to see you there.

This entry is from a citizen in Rolla who writes: I just wanted to take a quick moment to extend a sincere note of gratitude to Officer Moss, along with another member of your staff whose name I did not obtain. This Sunday I called your department to request a welfare check. To make a long story short, I had received text messages from Removed that were of a questionable and concerning nature. I was worried, based on the content of these messages as well as some behavior changes over the last few months, that they might hurt them self or others.

However I didn’t want to overreact, or take up an officers’ time unnecessarily, so I was somewhat timid about calling. To add to the apprehension I felt, I was not sure exactly where Removed was since they recently relocated to Rolla from removed (we have not had much contact since our breakup). I knew I would be calling with nothing more than a cell phone number to help locate them. . .not much to go on at all. The lack of information I had about his current address made me hesitate.

From the moment the phone was answered, my fears were put to rest. The woman who took the call was professional and caring. She was very patient with the fact that I had no information on their current whereabouts. She was calm and made me feel more confident in my decision for calling.

My removed was eventually located, and she discontinued with me. I was incredibly impressed with how quickly I received a follow up call from Officer Moss, who told me he had already been out to check on things. He repeatedly stressed that I was not foolish for calling, and that it was the right decision. He was very professional, and made me feel so much better about contacting the department. He even encouraged me to call him directly if I received any further communication of the same nature.

My father is the police chief in removed, and has been in law enforcement for over 35 years. As a result, I have been around law enforcement my entire life. As a kid, I would often spend full days at his department during summers and school vacations. However I have never had to call the police myself, as a civilian. Finding myself suddenly in a situation where I had to was stressful and nerve wracking.

It’s silly to say, but even though I have the highest opinion of police officers, I suddenly found myself worrying: will they think I am wasting their time? Will they be upset that I am calling with not much information? Will they think I am overreacting? I know your department probably handles many, many welfare checks a year, however it was my first. As far as calls go, I am sure it fell way down on Officer Moss’s list of exciting calls, but he made it a top priority and handled it quickly and professionally.

I can’t say how much that meant to me in an already uncomfortable and emotionally charged situation. I know all too well that due to the nature of the job, you may not always hear positive feedback, so I wanted to pass this on. Thank you again. On a side note, the telecommunicator assisting Pto. Moss was veteran telecommunicator Amy King! Great job to both of you.

This past week, Communications Supervisor Stacey Smith conducted 40 hours of telecommunicator certification training for telecommunicators from not only our own Central Communications Division, but also telecommunicators from other agencies in central Missouri. Students described the class as informative, challenging, interesting and entertaining!

The training covered information about technology, liability, call taker skills, interpersonal professionalism and much more! We are proud to report everyone passed with flying colors! Good job everyone!

In closing, I would like to mention that next week Missouri S&T will begin the annual St. Patricks Day acitivities. If you plan to participate in the many events please remember to do so safely. If you choose not to participate please use caution in and around the campus as this time of year typically inspires many more outdoor activities and student presence. And remember to set your clocks forward this Sunday in observance of daylight savings time.

Have a great week!

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